Terrestrial Leech Natural History 133 



under log in seepage area near small trib. Newlight Cr., 1 adult, 18 

 February 1976, A.L. Braswell and N. Murdock (NCSM P175); 5.6 km n 

 Cary, along US hwy 1-40, 0.5 km nwjct. co. rd. 1795, floodplain Crabtree 

 Cr., 2 adults, 28 March 1976, A.L. Braswell and N. Murdock (NCSM 

 P178); near Neuse R. at NC hwy. 98, 1 adult, 19 April 1976, A.L. 

 Braswell and D.L. Stephan (NCSM P181); 0.5 km nw Falls, under wet 

 leaves in seepage area, about 15 cm from water and 46 m from Neuse R., 

 1 adult, 18 February 1976, A.L. Braswell and N. Murdock (NCSM 

 P176); 7.7 km sw Wake Forest, along co. rd. 2000 near Neuse R., 2 

 adults, 6 immatures (one reddish in color), 19 April 1976, A.L. Braswell 

 and D.L. Stephan (NCSM PI 80). Johnson Co.— Smithfield, in lawn or 

 plant bed at 831 Ward St. (Neuse dr.), 1 adult, 10 April 1977, M. Dublin 

 (NCSM P224). Duplin Co.— 13.6 km ne Kenansville, Goshen Swamp 

 (Cape Fear dr.) near NC hwy. 11, 1 adult, 6 March 1976, B.S. Martof 

 and J.H. Reynolds (NCSM P177). Pasquotank Co.— Elizabeth City, crawl- 

 ing on ground near service station (Pasquotank dr.), 1 adult, 8 March 

 1975, R. Mann (NCSM P186). 



The similarities between H. septagon and H. terrestns are noteworthy. In 

 addition to terrestrial habits they have comparable color patterns, with a 

 dark base color and darker middorsal and lighter lateral stripes. These 

 markings are better defined in H. terrestns than in H. septagon. External 

 differences include the configuration of the adult female gonopore 

 (elevated in H. septagon, flattened in H. terrestris) and the annular separa- 

 tion of the gonopores {6V2-I annuli in H. septagon, 5-51/2 annuli in H. 

 terrestris). The Carolina species seems to be more dependent upon 

 moisture and is rarely found more than a few meters from a water source. 

 According to Sawyer (1972), H. terrestris is usually found "well away from 

 the water" and thus seems to be better adapted to terrestrial life. 

 Anatomical, ecological, and geographical (Fig. 2) comparisons suggest 

 that the two may be sister species only one step removed from a common 

 ancestor. Conceivably, either could have been the stock from which the 

 other was derived, existing relatively unchanged since the time of 

 divergence. They may prove to occur sympatrically in Georgia and 

 southern South Carolina, and future efforts should be directed toward 

 determining the nature of the terrestrial leech populations of these areas. 



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. — We are grateful to Roy T. Sawyer for his 

 constructive comments on an early draft of the manuscript. We also 

 thank the persons cited in the text for assistance in securing specimens of 

 H. septagon. Figure 1 was prepared by Renaldo G. Kuhler, North Carolina 

 State Museum scientific illustrator. 



